"Top 25 Recap: No. 17 Illinois Dominates Northwestern's Offense"
Kylan Boswell tallied 17 points to lead five players in double digits as No. 17 Illinois dominated visiting Northwestern in an 83-74 Big Ten victory on Sunday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.
Freshman center Morez Johnson Jr. stepped up in place of the injured Tomislav Ivisic, recording 15 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks for the Fighting Illini (14-6, 6-4). They built a commanding 22-point lead at halftime, breaking their first two-game losing streak of the season.
Kasparas Jakucionis contributed 11 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Ben Humrichous (14 points, four 3-pointers) and Jake Davis (11 points, three 3-pointers) also made significant contributions.
Northwestern's Nick Martinelli, the leading scorer in the Big Ten, managed 17 points but needed 19 field-goal attempts to do so. Jalen Leach added 17 points and four assists, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Illini's dominant performance. Brooks Barnhizer, who typically averages 18.5 points, finished with a season-low three points as Northwestern coach Chris Collins chose to rest the injury-plagued senior for the final 12 minutes.
No. 18 Wisconsin (16-4, 6-3 Big Ten) also secured a victory, defeating Nebraska 83-55 at home. John Tonje led the Badgers with 27 points, while John Blackwell added 14. Kamari McGee contributed 11 points to the win, bouncing back from a recent loss to UCLA.
Brice Williams scored 11 points for Nebraska (12-8, 2-7 Big Ten), who have now lost six straight games. They struggled offensively, shooting just 33.9 percent from the field and 3-for-8 from the foul line.
In another game, No. 24 Memphis (16-4, 6-1 AAC) dominated UAB (12-8, 5-2) in a 100-77 victory. PJ Haggerty led the Tigers with 23 points, followed by Dain Dainja with 21. PJ Carter (14 points), Colby Rogers (12 points), and Nicholas Jourdain (11 points) also made significant contributions to the win. UAB's Efrem Johnson (21 points), Bradley Ezewiro (19 points), and Yaxel Lendeborg (18 points, 10 rebounds) put up a strong fight, but ultimately couldn't overcome Memphis' dominant performance.
